Boron-class
The Boron-class Patrol Ship is lightweight patrol ship developed by ZAFT for the purpose of extending their mobile suit patrols around the Lagrange Five Area. It is not a mainline warship at all, often only being as a patrol ship for the area that surrounds the PLANTs and any other ZAFT-controlled area. Technology & Combat Characteristics The Boron-class Patrol Ships where at first developed by the original PLANT Security Forces in late C.E. 66 as a LaGrange Point Patrol Boat in an effort to defend the PLANTs from the rising Pirate Attacks. However like its larger cousin the Minovsky-class the Boron wouldn't be built due to the end of the majority of the pirate threat. Unlike the larger security cruiser the Boron-class would later be built under the control of the newly organized ZAFT forces who would use these small patrol ships to patrol the Lagrange Five area and other ZAFT controlled areas. Originally the small ship wasn't designed to support mobile suits but when ZAFT started producing the design they add a small external maintenance rack bellow the engine block in an effort to support a mobile suit patrol attached to the ship. Only the first six ships of the class would built like this before ZAFT Homeland Command asked for further mobile suit facilities onboard the ship. The yards would be then add four external mobile suit racks arranged around the engine block of the ship allowing the small patrol boat to carry and support four mobile suits. Though it should be noted that the Boron-class wouldn't have the supplies to fully support its mobile suits for any real length of time. The small Boron-class didn't just have to rely on its mobile suit compliment if encountering any threat during its patrols. For the main guns of the ship are a pair of lightweight M5A3 railgun turrets, based lightly on the larger M6A9 weapon on the Laurasia, that allowed the small ship to engage almost any target it needs too though it should be noted that the Boron class didn't have the armor to stand up to larger ships therefore it is often said that these small patrol ships where only a tripwire for any dedicated assault on the Homeland. Even then combined their main guns with the secondary torpedo tubes and its attached mobile suits the Boron-class was still a contender in any real fight. All in all the twenty-four built ships of the class did their mission proudly for the entire length of the war with two ships of the class the first to engage the Earth Alliance ships during the First Battle of Jachin Due, and several others taking out many different small craft either used by Blue Cosmos or the mainline Earth Alliance to sneak operatives into the homeland. They also were reasonable for responding to a handful of civilian disasters in the L5 Area with one ship of the class single handedly managing to save the civilian light transport Coral when one of its engines were destroyed by a micrometeorite. Another three ships of the class were the first responders to the Aprilius Nine Port Bombing and later a meteorite strike on Matius Eight. While later in the war the far-superior Luna-class Space Escorts would be used to patrol Lagrange Five the smaller Boron-class would still remain as patrol ships supporting the larger ships, often remaining closer to the PLANT themselves while the larger Luna-class went on patrols around the Lagrange Point itself. However even with more and more Luna Class ships being assigned to patrol the Homeland as the war went on the smaller Boron Class would remain in service mostly as harbor defense ships, later though they would refitted as PLANT Security Ships and used to support PLANT Security Operations around the Homeland. Notable Ships and Crew ;*ZS Cobalt (Captain Logan Gasper) :The ZS Cobalt was one of the two patrol ships who were first to engage Earth Alliance ships at the First Battle of Jachin Due. While normal procedure for ZAFT Patrol Ships would retreat in the face of a superior enemy force the Commander of the Cobalt Captain Logan Gasper knew that much of the ZAFT Homeland Defense Command Fleet was out of position to intercept the approaching Earth Alliance Fleet before it reached the PLANTs. Therefore with Bloody Valentine still fresh in his mind Captain Gasper ordered the second ship of the patrol the Xenon to transfer her four GINNs over to his command and make it with all speed back to the nearby Jachin Due resource satellite to report on the attack. :Following the retreat of the Xenon Captain Gasper ordered an all-out attack on the approaching Alliance Fleet much to the shock of the Alliance commanders. The Cobalt and its eight attached GINNs managed in the next half-hour to destroy seven Drake-class Frigates, two Halsey-class Destroyers, and two Nelson-class Cruisers along with twenty enemy mobile armors. As well as damaging several further ships and mobile armors before finally being destroyed. Even then Captain Gasper and his command managed to hold the Alliance Fleet for thirty-five minutes, enough time for nearby Homeland Defense Command ships to respond to the raid warning from the Xenon move to engage the halted enemy fleet. :After the battle Captain Gasper would be posthumously awarded the Order of Nebula one of a handful of shipboard officers to receive such an award, along with all eight GINN pilots. The rest of the crew of the Cobalt received lesser awards with one man Chief Technician Ryan Forbes receiving the Star of Nova for saving seven members of the ship's crew who were spaced using the ship's single launch. It would be thanks Captain Gasper and his crew that another, bloodier, Bloody Valentine did not happen. Variants ;*''Titanium''-class Patrol Ship :A slightly larger version of the Boron-class developed by ZAFT to replace the Boron-class but the Luna Class performed so well at this mission only three ships of this class were built and would later be sold off to other interests after the end of the war. ;*''Nada''-class Corvette :A slightly larger variant developed by Buch Shipyards at Olympus Protectorate for the use of the Olympus Defense Forces but with them using Sphinx-built Nike-class and Nike Kai-class ships the Nada-class would never be built if several hadn’t been ordered by the Crossbone Vanguard Mercenary Group who become one of the only groups to use this design. Notes & Trivia *The Boron-class is heavily based on the Zamouth Nada Class ship of the Crossbone Vanguard from the Gundam F91 movie. Category:Warships Category:Patrol Ships Category:ZAFT Ships Category:Angelic Dawn Ships